World Of Sports Info

How many strokes do you “throw away” because of poor putting, by either missing short putts or 3-putting?  When I’m talking about 3-putts, I’m not talking about the times you leave yourself a first putt of 100 feet.  It’s pretty hard to not 3-putt from 100 feet.  I’m talking about the times you 3-putt from 30 feet or closer.  These are the distances you should be able to get your first putt close enough to be able to make the second putt.

The people who seem to never miss short putts or never 3-putt, either have great touch on the greens, or they have come up with a technique that helps them have better touch on the greens.

I am a feel putter and usually don’t have a problem with 3-putts, but, like everyone else, there are times when I struggle with my lag putting.  Whenever that happens, I go back to a technique I have used for over 20 years, and before long I’ll be back on track.  It’s easy to do and doesn’t take much practice before you see results.

If you struggle with lag putting, try this golf instruction tip.  Basically, all you have to do is estimate the length of your putt and then take your putter back one inch for each foot of putt you have and follow through one inch for each foot of putt.  For example, if you have a ten foot putt, take the putter back ten inches and then follow through 10 inches.  The only adjustments you need to make are for uphill or downhill putts.  This is not a putting stroke that is totally absent of feel, but a putting stroke that will assist you in improving your feel to help you get more consistent with your distances.

3-putting is only one aspect of poor putting.  The other is missing short putts.  Most people I know that miss a lot of short putts, usually take their putter back too far and then decelerate the club head when they come through the ball.  It doesn’t matter what club you have in your hand, if you decelerate the club through impact, you will not hit a good shot.  When you decelerate the putter, you tend to push or pull the putt.  The only way to keep the ball on line is to accelerate the putter through impact.  You may think, “How can I accelerate the putter on a 3-foot putt?”  If you use the tip I gave in the paragraph above, you had better accelerate or you won’t get the putt to the hole.  If you take the putter back 3 inches on a 3-foot putt, you will automatically accelerate through the ball, which will keep the ball on line much better.

I have seen a lot of people who are struggling with their putting think that if they buy a new putter it will cure their putting problems.  A new putter is not likely to fix a bad putting stroke.

Try this golf tip and see if it helps.

There are several ways to shave strokes off your golf score. Most people try to hit their driver longer and straighter, thinking that’s all it takes. Although hitting the ball longer and straighter can help, it won’t really lower your scores significantly, unless you are now constantly hitting your drives into trouble.

There are two areas of your game that are easier to improve on than your driver and will also shave more strokes off your score. These two areas are: the short game (shots to the green from 100 yards and closer), and putting. In this article I’m going to be discussing the short game shots.

Several years ago I saw a player on the PGA tour give a tip on how to control the distances on shots that are less than full shots. I started to use his technique the very next time I played golf and saw immediate results. I now consider myself pretty good at those so called “half shots”. About a year ago I saw Dave Pelz, who is considered by many the guru of the short game, give the exact same tip. I later realized he was the one who taught it to the PGA player that I got it from.

Basically, he said the key to controlling the distances of your golf shots is altering the distance of your backswing. You don’t hit the golf ball farther by hitting it harder or hit the golf ball a shorter distance by hitting it easier. You hit the ball farther by taking a longer backswing and hit the ball a shorter distance by taking a shorter backswing. How do you know how far back to take the backswing?

View your hands in a golf swing as you would hands on a clock. When you are addressing the ball, your hands are at six o’clock. When you are halfway back in your backswing, your hands are at nine o’clock, and at the top of your backswing, your hands are at twelve o’clock. After viewing your swing in this manner, you control the distance of your shots by taking your hands back to a certain position on the clock dial. The distance of your shot will determine where on the clock dial you stop your backswing. The key is to make a smooth accelerating swing. Don’t baby the shot and don’t try to hit it too hard.

Let’s say you hit a sand wedge 100 yards with a full swing. When you have a 75 yard shot try taking your hands back to ten o’clock. If your shot comes up short, try taking your hands back to eleven o’clock, if your shot is long, try nine o’clock. Practice using different clock positions for different distances and before long you will get a feel for these “half shots”. With just a little practice you will be amazed at how quickly you become more consistent at these shots.

Next time I’ll talk about putting and how to reduce those dreaded 3-putts.

I think it’s interesting to watch the way golfers warm up before they play a round of golf, and also to see how they practice on days when they aren’t going to play, although, most golfers practice very little, if at all.

With the increased popularity of golf, there are a lot of golfers who play the game more as a social event.  They aren’t too concerned about how they play, but are just glad to be out with their friends, and that’s OK.  Everyone needs to decide for themselves how they will best enjoy the game.  If you can have fun while shooting 100, that’s fine.  The one thing I would say though, is everyone should strive to play well enough so they can play a round of golf in a reasonable amount of time, so they aren’t slowing play down for everyone else.  Slow play is something I will discuss at a later date.

My comments here are aimed at the golfers who would really like to improve their games and are willing to put in the time required to do so.

I have seen many golfers go to the driving range prior to their round, hit 30 or more balls with their drivers, go to the putting green and hit 5 or 6 putts, and wonder why they can’t score consistently.

I think it is critical for you to practice on the aspects of your game that will help you shoot lower scores.  The part of the golf game that needs the most practice will vary from golfer to golfer, depending on what each individual golfers weaknesses are.  I think most golfers need to spend more time practicing their chipping and putting, since this part of the game makes up a big percent of your golf shots during a round of golf.  Let’s look at some numbers.

On the average you hit your driver 14 times in a round of golf.  You will hit over 20 shots from the fairway, including approach shot to the green and second shots on par 5s.  The average golfer will hit 45 to 50 shots that consist of chips or putts.  If you normally shoot a 90 when you play golf, you hit your driver approximately 15% of the time, your fairway shots make up approximately 20% to 25% of your shots, and chip shots and putts make up over half of your strokes.  After seeing these numbers where do you think you should spend a significant amount of your practice time?  It seems obvious to me that the best way to lower your scores is to become better at chipping and putting. The problem is, it’s not fun to spend a lot of time chipping and putting.  It’s more fun to go to the driving range, pull out the driver, and swing away.

Look at it this way.  If you hit drivers on the driving range for an hour, will you be able to hit the ball noticeably longer and straighter?  Probably not.  If you hit chips and putts for an hour, will you have a better feel for the greens and thus be able to chip and putt noticeably better?  I think the chances are pretty good you will.

I think most golfers can improve their chipping and putting easier than they can their driving or iron game.  If you think about it, when you are hitting drivers or iron shots you are swinging a much fuller swing at faster speeds than when you hit a chip or putt.  It is much easier to control the club head at slower speeds, which, in my opinion, makes it easier to become more consistent at chipping and putting than it is to become more consistent with your driver or iron game.

There is an old saying that goes something like this: “If you want to keep getting what you’re getting, keep doing what you’re doing”.  Are you getting the results you would like out of your practice sessions?  If so, keep doing what you’re doing.  If not, you should think about changing your practice routine.

After I’ve said all this I want to make sure I am perfectly clear about one thing.  I am not saying you should not work on your driver or your irons.  I’m just saying, don’t forget to devote the appropriate amount of time to your chipping and putting.  I think you will see a definite improvement, which should lower your scores.

Good luck.

Par 4s and par 5s?

When you step on the tee of a par 4 or par 5 do you automatically reach for your driver?  Most golfers do, even though the driver may not be the club that will give them the best chance to consistently shoot a good score on the hole.

Most golfers don’t have a strategy for how to play each hole during a round of golf.  On all of the par 4s and par 5s, no matter what trouble there may be on the hole, they pull out the driver, and then complain when they hit it into trouble, saying they aren’t playing very well.  Often times, it’s not the way they’re playing that gets them into trouble, but the way they’re thinking.  Their mental process is causing the problem.

The next time you’re playing a golf hole that usually gives you trouble, think about what normally causes you the trouble.  If you normally hit your driver into trouble, think about hitting a 3-wood or a 5-wood or even a long iron or hybrid.  If you are playing a 500 yard par 5 and you can hit your 5-wood 200 yards, two 5-woods will leave you with a third shot of approximately 100 yards.  I think most golfers will agree, if you can consistently leave yourself with a 100 yard shot into the green, you have made the hole play much easier.

Use this approach on all the par 4’s and par 5’s and you will start to shoot lower scores, which should be your main goal.

Par 3s

Some people will think I’m crazy, but there are times when it is smart to lay up on a par 3.  I have played a golf hole that had a lake in front of the green that was only 15 feet from the putting surface.  On windy days, if you were hitting into the wind, you might need to hit as much as a 4-iron to reach the green, which is a very difficult shot for most golfers.

On this particular hole, there is a large, closely mown area approximately 20 yards right of the green.  You can hit your tee ball to this area without hitting over the water.  From there you can chip onto the green, 2 putt for a bogey and go to the next hole, avoiding taking a big number on the hole.  I have played with many golfers who have stood on that tee hoping for a bogey, but hit 2 or 3 balls into the water, take 6 or 7 on the hole, and then walk to the next tee really frustrated.  If they had hit their tee shot off to the side they would have greatly increased their chances of making the bogey they were hoping for when they were standing on the tee.

I think the biggest problem for most of us is with the numbers.  We have a preconceived idea of how we should play a golf hole depending on what par is for that hole.  If it’s a par 3 we’re supposed to be on the green with our tee shot, on par 4’s our second shot should be on the green, and par 5’s our third shot should be on the green.  It’s OK to think that way if you’re a low handicapper, but that can lead most golfers into trouble.

Let’s say you’re playing a 450 yard par 4, and you can hit your driver 250 yards.  You may think, “I really need to hit my driver good to be able to reach the green in two”, but that’s where you get into trouble.  You think you have to hit your driver off the tee to have a chance of reaching the green in two, but you don’t think about all the trouble that hitting a driver will bring into play.  If it’s a wide open hole where a driver won’t get you into trouble, then go ahead and hit your driver.  If there is a lot of trouble on the hole, then maybe you should not worry about reaching the green in two, but hit the club off the tee that will give you a better chance of hitting the fairway.  If you can’t reach the green with your second shot, so what.  Your goal should be to make the best score you can on each hole you play, and maybe a bogey is the best score you can consistently make on this hole.

I have played a golf course that has a par 5 that is 480 yards long and a par 4 that is 450 yards long.  On the par 5 I have heard golfers say, “I should be able to make a birdie on this hole”, and on the par 4 those same golfers say, “I’ll be lucky to make a bogey on this hole”. The funny thing is, they’re right.  I have seen them make more 4s on the par 5 than they do on the par 4.  Why is that?  They get caught up in the number that has been assigned for par on these holes.  A 480 yard par 5 is considered short, where a 450 yard par 4 is considered long, which means they have more confidence on the par 5 than they do on the par 4.  This confidence helps them play the par 5 better and their lack of confidence on the par 4 keeps them from playing it well.

Isn’t the mind a wonderful thing.  Sometimes I think we would be better off if we could somehow leave our brain at home when we go to the golf course.

Once you have decided on a strategy for a golf hole, don’t worry about the numbers.  When you’re getting ready to hit a golf shot, whether it’s a tee shot or a shot from the fairway, concentrate on what club you should hit that will give you the best chance to leave yourself in a good position to hit your next shot.  If you do this, you will give yourself a lot of chances to make par, but better yet, you will eliminate a lot of big numbers off of your score card.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Chipping and putting account for well over 50% of the strokes taken in the average round of golf, yet the amount of practice devoted to these phases of the game is very small. If the average golfer would spend 30 minutes a week practicing their chipping and putting, they would see great improvement in both of these aspects of their game. In this article I am going to talk about some of the fundamentals of the chip shot.

When I have played with golfers who have trouble chipping the golf ball, the two biggest problems they have are hitting the ball thin or hitting the ball fat. When you hit the ball thin, the bottom of your club hits the ball too close to the center of the golf ball. This will cause the ball to fly too low and will usually mean you have hit the ball over the green. When you hit the ball fat, the bottom of your club hits the ground before it gets to the ball, which will keep the ball from flying very far. This will almost always cause you to come up short of the green. So, what causes a golfer to hit the ball thin or fat.

There may be several swing flaws that cause a golfer to hit the ball thin or fat, but I believe most, if not all, of these swing flaws came be traced back to one major fault: club deceleration. To hit any golf shot consistently, whether it’s the driver, the putter, or any club in between, you must accelerate the club through impact.

In this article, I am talking exclusively about the chip shot, but the same principle is true for any golf shot. Most golfers don’t have a problem accelerating the club on full shots, but when they have those “less than full” shots is where they have problems.

The main cause for golfers decelerating their swing is they take the club back too far and then they try to swing easy to get the proper distance on the shot. To me, this is like having a two foot putt and taking the putter back far enough to hit a twenty foot putt. It doesn’t work very well.

The key is to take the club back far enough that you can accelerate smoothly through the ball and hit the ball the proper distance. The only way to know how far to take the club back to hit the ball a specific distance is to practice. Go to the practice putting green at your local golf course and practice chipping from several different distances.

Before you start to practice, there are a few basic fundamentals you should work on that will also help you become a consistent chipper. The first thing I would suggest is to grip down on the club to where your right hand, if you’re a right handed golfer, is almost on the steel of the shaft. This will give you more control. Second, keep your feet closer together than normal and open your stance slightly so your body is facing more toward the hole. This will keep the left side of your body out of the way to allow you to swing the club more freely toward your target. Third, place the ball toward your back foot and lean the handle of the club toward your left side. This will help you hit the ball with a descending blow, which is critical to hitting the ball crisply. Hitting the ball crisply is critical in any golf shot, but none more important than a chip shot.

After you feel comfortable with these fundamentals, you’re ready to begin your practice session.

Start by placing 4 or 5 balls about 5 feet off the putting surface. Chip to a hole that is 20 or 30 feet onto the green. Using a sand wedge, take your club back 18 inches and smoothly accelerate through the ball and see how far it goes. If the ball doesn’t get to the hole, try it again taking the club back 24 inches. If the ball went past the hole, try it again taking the club back 15 inches. Once you have a feel for how far back to take the sand wedge to hit it the proper distance, try it again with a pitching wedge, 9-iron, and 8-iron until you have a feel for these clubs as well.

Now chip to a hole that is 50 or 60 feet onto the green and repeat the process I described above. Once you have tried several shots from this distance, move to where you are chipping from 10 feet off the green and repeat the process, chipping to both pin locations you used before. Repeat this process from several distances to several pin locations.

You will find that when you are chipping from 10 feet or more off the green, you will usually chip better with a more lofted club, such as a sand wedge. If you are chipping from 4 or 5 feet off the green, you will usually chip better with a less lofted club, such as an 8-iron.

The point is, there is not one club that is perfect for all the different chip shots you will face during a round of golf. Practice using different lofted clubs in different situations and you will find what works best for you.

When you play golf, do you have trouble slicing the ball? If you do, you’re not alone. Approximately 80% of all golfers slice the golf ball. Before you can begin to cure your slice, you first need to know what is causing you to slice the ball.

I have heard many people say the reason they slice the ball is that they have an outside-in swing path. The easiest way to describe an outside-in swing path is for you to imagine that you are hitting an iron shot toward the middle of the green. If you are a right handed golfer and your divot is pointing to the left of the green, you have made an outside-in swing. Although having an outside-in swing path can cause problems, it does not by itself cause you to slice the ball.

To slice the golf ball, you have to put side spin on the ball that causes it to spin in a counterclockwise direction. Whether your swing is outside-in, inside-out, or somewhere in between, the ball will slice if you cause the ball to spin in a counterclockwise direction. How do you cause the ball to spin in a counterclockwise direction?

The only way to put the necessary side spin on the golf ball that will cause a slice is to have the club face open with respect to your swing path. If you have an outside-in swing path, your ball will start left of your target before starting to slice. If your swing path is from the inside-out, your ball will start right of your target before starting to slice. If you keep your club face square with the direction of your swing path, your ball will fly fairly straight. If your swing path is outside-in, your ball will start left and stay left, while the inside-out swing path will cause your ball to start right and stay there.

So, even though there is only one way to put side spin on the golf ball, there are two critical components in your golf swing that must be correct for you to be able to consistently hit the golf ball straight and at your target: Club face alignment and swing path.

To cure your slice, you must get the club face square with your swing path. To hit the ball on line with your target, you must get your swing path on line with your target.

If you have been slicing the golf ball for a long time, this may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. The golf swing can really be quite simple if we would just quit trying so hard. If we can convince ourselves that the golf swing is a simple swing, we are on the right track to hitting better golf shots. Once we begin to hit better golf shots, we will start to
shoot better scores.

In the text above I have added a couple of links to web sites that I think will help you cure your slice so you can start shooting better scores. Good luck.